A/N- Gravitation doesn't belong to me, but all characters not found in the
series do, as well as all song lyrics.
Thanks so much to those of you who reviewed! It made me so happy! ^_^ Anyway, on with the story.
Lunch was proving the most formidable obstacle so far. Shuichi looked around the packed cafeteria nervously; the sea of faces blurring into indistinguishable figures.
"Shindo-kun!" a familiar voice called over the din. Maiko appeared, blessedly, at his side. "You look like you could use some help."
Shuichi nodded gratefully at the girl.
"First off," she began, taking his arm and dragging him out a side door onto a small patio. "You don't want to sit inside. Trust me, you'll never get out of there when the bell rings."
The patio was comfortable: relatively shady from blooming vines that crept up the walls and entwined overhead to form a lacey canopy. It was quieter than the roar of the main cafeteria, though chatter still echoed across the bricks. The area seemed to be divided in half; one half was thronged with students, while the other half was empty save for a scattering of silent individuals.
"Hey, Kokuei," a boy called out, "who's the new kid? Looks like a flamer to me!"
Maiko didn't answer and pushed past them.
"Come on! Don't be so cold after all the fun we had in the back of your car!" the boy said maliciously.
Maiko whirled on him and said with a saccharine smile, "I believe the only fun had in the back of a car was your father, . Too bad he spends more time with whores than your mother." She stalked off, dragging a very confused Shuichi along.
"Ignore them," she growled, and Shuichi couldn't tell if she was speaking to herself or to him. They approached an empty table in a rear corner of the patio and sat down. Well, almost empty. A boy about Shuichi's own age was seated at the end, tuning a guitar. His long, red- brown hair fell across his eyes, shading his features sufficiently. He didn't look up when they sat down.
"Lesson number two: never eat anything you find in the cafeteria," Maiko said with an impish grin and pulled a bag of fast food from a restaurant across the street from her bag.
Now the stranger did look up. "Maik, you know you aren't supposed to leave campus!" he exclaimed amusedly.
"They only care if they catch you," she retorted, jabbing her tongue out at him. "Besides, we weren't doing anything in P.E. anyway. They didn't miss me."
But the boy's attention had been diverted. Shuichi flushed under the intense stare.
"Hiro, put your eyes back in your head!" Maiko exclaimed, breaking the tension. "This is Shuichi. Shuichi, this is Hiro."
"Hi," Hiro said, shifting his guitar and offering his hand.
"Hey" Shuichi replied. He shook the offered hand and smiled. He liked Hiro; there was just something about him.But that look he had been giving Shuichi was a bit creepy. Nice, but creepy.
"Hiro's a Sophomore too. Most people in this lunch are Sophomores and Freshman. Juniors and Seniors typically have a later lunch."
"So, Shuichi," Hiro asked, placing the instrument back in the gig bag. "Where'd you come from?"
"Nani?" Shuichi said, head still spinning.
"What school?"
"Oh," he said sheepishly. "Lucid Academy."
Hiro and Maiko: *Pulsemark*
"Whoa, your parents have to be loaded!" she exclaimed.
"Eh.no.Actually a friend of mine was paying."
"Sweet! So why'd you come here?"
"My dad got transferred," he answered simply.
"Ah. That blows!" Hiro exclaimed, chocolate eyes burning excitedly.
Shuichi nodded his vibrant head and gave a rueful grin. "But I have you guys, right?"
"Of course!" Maiko exclaimed and slung one arm around Shuichi's neck. "If you get rid of the assholes and the crappy teachers and the crappy classes and the crappy rules, this is actually a semi-decent school. You'll be totally cool here." And with that the bell shattered any further conversation.
"Oh no! I have to get to class! See you guys!" Shuichi sped off with a quick wave.
Two pairs of dark eyes watched the slender boy race off down the hall intently.
"Kawaii, ne?" Maiko said slyly.
"What?" Hiro asked suspiciously.
"Oh, nothing," she answered innocently. "But don't you just wanna pick him up and keep him forever?"
"Yes." Hiro sighed. "I mean- no! Ergh! You're so frustrating," he said giving her a light shove.
She chuckled wickedly and poked him in the ribs. "I knew you'd like him."
"You take way too much pleasure in playing matchmaker," Hiro muttered darkly.
"Aww! I love you too!" she said impishly and vanished, living up to her nickname Kokuei.
OOC: And enter Hiro! Who can guess who the asshole who insulted my chika is? I can, I can! Trust me, we'll see more of him. And next chapter we'll see Yuki. Whoot!
Thanks so much to those of you who reviewed! It made me so happy! ^_^ Anyway, on with the story.
Lunch was proving the most formidable obstacle so far. Shuichi looked around the packed cafeteria nervously; the sea of faces blurring into indistinguishable figures.
"Shindo-kun!" a familiar voice called over the din. Maiko appeared, blessedly, at his side. "You look like you could use some help."
Shuichi nodded gratefully at the girl.
"First off," she began, taking his arm and dragging him out a side door onto a small patio. "You don't want to sit inside. Trust me, you'll never get out of there when the bell rings."
The patio was comfortable: relatively shady from blooming vines that crept up the walls and entwined overhead to form a lacey canopy. It was quieter than the roar of the main cafeteria, though chatter still echoed across the bricks. The area seemed to be divided in half; one half was thronged with students, while the other half was empty save for a scattering of silent individuals.
"Hey, Kokuei," a boy called out, "who's the new kid? Looks like a flamer to me!"
Maiko didn't answer and pushed past them.
"Come on! Don't be so cold after all the fun we had in the back of your car!" the boy said maliciously.
Maiko whirled on him and said with a saccharine smile, "I believe the only fun had in the back of a car was your father, . Too bad he spends more time with whores than your mother." She stalked off, dragging a very confused Shuichi along.
"Ignore them," she growled, and Shuichi couldn't tell if she was speaking to herself or to him. They approached an empty table in a rear corner of the patio and sat down. Well, almost empty. A boy about Shuichi's own age was seated at the end, tuning a guitar. His long, red- brown hair fell across his eyes, shading his features sufficiently. He didn't look up when they sat down.
"Lesson number two: never eat anything you find in the cafeteria," Maiko said with an impish grin and pulled a bag of fast food from a restaurant across the street from her bag.
Now the stranger did look up. "Maik, you know you aren't supposed to leave campus!" he exclaimed amusedly.
"They only care if they catch you," she retorted, jabbing her tongue out at him. "Besides, we weren't doing anything in P.E. anyway. They didn't miss me."
But the boy's attention had been diverted. Shuichi flushed under the intense stare.
"Hiro, put your eyes back in your head!" Maiko exclaimed, breaking the tension. "This is Shuichi. Shuichi, this is Hiro."
"Hi," Hiro said, shifting his guitar and offering his hand.
"Hey" Shuichi replied. He shook the offered hand and smiled. He liked Hiro; there was just something about him.But that look he had been giving Shuichi was a bit creepy. Nice, but creepy.
"Hiro's a Sophomore too. Most people in this lunch are Sophomores and Freshman. Juniors and Seniors typically have a later lunch."
"So, Shuichi," Hiro asked, placing the instrument back in the gig bag. "Where'd you come from?"
"Nani?" Shuichi said, head still spinning.
"What school?"
"Oh," he said sheepishly. "Lucid Academy."
Hiro and Maiko: *Pulsemark*
"Whoa, your parents have to be loaded!" she exclaimed.
"Eh.no.Actually a friend of mine was paying."
"Sweet! So why'd you come here?"
"My dad got transferred," he answered simply.
"Ah. That blows!" Hiro exclaimed, chocolate eyes burning excitedly.
Shuichi nodded his vibrant head and gave a rueful grin. "But I have you guys, right?"
"Of course!" Maiko exclaimed and slung one arm around Shuichi's neck. "If you get rid of the assholes and the crappy teachers and the crappy classes and the crappy rules, this is actually a semi-decent school. You'll be totally cool here." And with that the bell shattered any further conversation.
"Oh no! I have to get to class! See you guys!" Shuichi sped off with a quick wave.
Two pairs of dark eyes watched the slender boy race off down the hall intently.
"Kawaii, ne?" Maiko said slyly.
"What?" Hiro asked suspiciously.
"Oh, nothing," she answered innocently. "But don't you just wanna pick him up and keep him forever?"
"Yes." Hiro sighed. "I mean- no! Ergh! You're so frustrating," he said giving her a light shove.
She chuckled wickedly and poked him in the ribs. "I knew you'd like him."
"You take way too much pleasure in playing matchmaker," Hiro muttered darkly.
"Aww! I love you too!" she said impishly and vanished, living up to her nickname Kokuei.
OOC: And enter Hiro! Who can guess who the asshole who insulted my chika is? I can, I can! Trust me, we'll see more of him. And next chapter we'll see Yuki. Whoot!